The top 25 NXT TakeOver moments

Matt Willis

ESPN Staff Writer

Matt Willis has been a studio researcher at ESPN since 2006, working on "NASCAR Now" and "SportsCenter," among other shows. He graduated from Ithaca College in 2006 with a degree in journalism. While there, he worked on ICTV, on shows such as "Ya Think You Know Sports?" and "Sports Final." He also was a member of the IC Comedy Club and figures about half of the jokes he makes in his column are actually funny.

Five years ago, NXT offered its first TakeOver event from the brand's home at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Often outshining its WWE pay-per-view counterparts, TakeOver events have consistently dazzled, thrilled and delivered throughout its five-year run.

Editor's Picks

Between the opening match at that inaugural show between Adam Rose and Camacho and the most recent TakeOver match in New York between Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole, there have been some of the greatest matches and moments -- not just in the WWE during the time, but in all of professional wrestling.

In honor of the 25th TakeOver event on Saturday night in Bridgeport, Connecticut, here are our picks for the 25 greatest TakeOver moments:

25. NXT TakeOver: Rival -- Sasha Banks becomes the NXT women's champion in a Fatal 4-way against the rest of the Four Horsewomen (Feb. 11, 2015)

Four pillars -- or Horsewomen -- of the WWE's women's division as we know it today delivered an in-ring gem at TakeOver: Rival. The match quality was something we'd come to expect from Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Bayley as their careers ascended. This particular night and moment, however, belonged to Banks, who stood tall winning her first of many championships as part of the WWE.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was created to honor one of the most brilliant minds and mentors in the history of professional wrestling. Since that time, there have been four winners, the first of which came at TakeOver: Respect, in which the duo of Finn Balor and Samoa Joe captured the Dusty Cup.

Before there was "Becky 2 Belts" and a WrestleMania main event, Becky Lynch had worked her way up from obscurity to the NXT women's title picture. At Unstoppable, her challenge for her former ally's title came up short, but as Lynch sat in the ring post-match in tears, the crowd chanted her name and sang her theme song. It was just a glimpse at the cult following that Lynch would later gain.

Perhaps the most chilling entrance since the Undertaker's debut in 1990 came when Finn Balor debuted his demon persona at TakeOver: R Evolution when he teamed with Hideo Itami. The music, the body paint, Balor's mannerisms -- they set the stage for one of the most consistently acclaimed and anticipated entrances in the history of WWE.

The Dream told Aleister Black he would make him say his name. Dream may have lost the match, but when Black said, "Enjoy infamy, Velveteen Dream," after the match, the Dream got what he really wanted out of his NXT TakeOver debut: a match that opened eyes to his in-ring prowess.

What a way to make a TakeOver debut. After one of the more physical matches of the year, WALTER put an end to the brilliant 685-day U.K. championship reign of Pete Dunne and became the third champion in that brand's history.

After a shocking turn on his longtime friend Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens received a title shot and defeated Zayn for the title via technical knockout after officials stopped the match following five pop-up powerbombs.

Roderick Strong turned on Pete Dunne and joined the Undisputed Era at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. WWE

This was the moment that the Undisputed Era, as we know it in May 2019, was born. Not only did the faction claim the NXT tag team championships and win the Dusty Classic, but it gained a member when Roderick Strong turned on Pete Dunne, his tag team partner that night, allowing the Undisputed Era to claim victory.

Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa lock in simultaneous submissions to defeat The Revival at TakeOver: Toronto. Vaughn Ridley for ESPN

There are deservedly a lot of Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa moments on this list, but this was their crowning achievement as a tag team. In a stellar two-out-of-three-falls match against The Revival, #DIY lost the first fall but came back for the second fall. In the third fall, both members of #DIY eventually got both members of The Revival in their submission holds, leading to simultaneous tap-outs in a match WWE.com called its match of the year.

15. NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 -- Ciampa retains his title in a Last Man Standing match after Gargano cannot get back to his feet (Aug. 18, 2018)

The Gargano-Ciampa saga has been the premier storyline in NXT history. The journey has been compelling and this Last Man Standing match was arguably its finest chapter. The final moment saw Gargano injure his knee while attempting to put Ciampa away, preventing him from answering the 10 count.

The highly anticipated debut of Shinsuke Nakamura in NXT didn't disappoint. Even though the result wasn't really in doubt going in, these two put on an impressive display -- from trading dozens of forearms as the crowd exploded to the Kinshasa off the middle rope.

Before they became the inaugural WWE women's tag team champions, Bayley and Banks had an intense rivalry in NXT. At TakeOver: Brooklyn they delivered the greatest chapter of said rivalry and stole the show in the process. After the match, in an iconic moment, Bayley, Banks and fellow Four Horsewomen Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch celebrated the crowning achievement in the ring.

Former rivals Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano stood side by side at the end of NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. Courtesy @WWE

12. NXT TakeOver: Phoenix -- Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano pose with their titles at the top of the ramp at the end of the show (Jan. 26, 2019)

After Tommaso Ciampa defended his NXT championship against Aleister Black, he was met on the entrance ramp by Johnny Gargano, who defeated Ricochet earlier in the night for the North American championship. Gargano's character was a lot more gray at that point, driven more for personal success than doing what was right, or getting revenge on Ciampa. The two posed together at the top of the ramp, a reversal of what happened when they split, where Ciampa attacked Gargano at the top of the ramp.

Considered by many to be the best match of 2017, Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate put on a clinic. Dunne's victory marked the beginning of his monumental 685-day title reign.

Adam Cole became the first NXT North American champion after winning a memorable six-man ladder match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. Courtesy WWE

10. NXT TakeOver: New Orleans -- Adam Cole wins a six-man ladder match to become the inaugural NXT North American champion(April 7, 2018)

NXT debuted the new title in style with an amazing six-man ladder match worthy of a max rating no matter what system you use. Featuring Adam Cole, Velveteen Dream, Ricochet, EC3, Killian Dain and Lars Sullivan, the match featured a variety of styles that came together in spectacular fashion.

Two cornerstones of today's WWE women's division battled at NXT TakeOver in 2014 for the vacant NXT women's championship. Charlotte's win, coupled with Ric Flair and Bret Hart at ringside, made for one of the most memorable TakeOver matches and memories of all time.

One of the most emotional moments of the Gargano-Ciampa feud came when Gargano locked in his Gargano Escape, aided by Ciampa's knee brace, and got Ciampa to tap out, resulting in his reinstatement to the NXT roster. As Gargano celebrated the win with wife Candace LeRae, it seemed like the feud could've ended there, but we're glad it didn't.

Eric Young drops a flying elbow during the main event of the NXT TakeOver: War Games. Courtesy of WWE

There were over 30 War Games matches between 1987 and 2000, many of which were classics. In 2017, NXT revived the classic match stipulation of years past and, boy, did it deliver as the Undisputed Era reigned supreme.

It might've been enough for Drew McIntyre's title win to make the list, taking the championship away from Bobby Roode, but the real moment came after the match when Adam Cole made a shocking debut, attacking the new NXT champion. He was joined by Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, who reunited earlier in the night to attack the Authors of Pain and SAnitY, who previously competed in the tag team championship match.

Asuka defeated Bayley at NXT Takeover: Dallas and held on to the title for 522 days. WWE

Asuka was an unstoppable force in NXT and perhaps the greatest superstar in the brand's history. TakeOver: Dallas marked the beginning of her historic 522-day NXT women's championship reign -- one that came to an end only due to her vacating the title upon her graduation to the main roster.

In the first "Iron Woman" match and the first women's match to headline an NXT TakeOver, Bayley and Banks did not disappoint. Bayley picked up a submission decision with mere seconds remaining to retain her women's title.

Johnny Gargano won the final two falls over Adam Cole by submission in their best-of-three-falls match to claim the NXT championship at TakeOver: New York. WWE

Johnny Gargano's NXT journey has been tumultuous and challenging, yet riveting and gratifying. Following the destruction of the #DIY tag team in the summer of 2017, Gargano chased the NXT championship for over a year. After numerous unsuccessful attempts and constant hurdles, his career culminated with this two-out-of-three-falls classic with Adam Cole in which he finally captured the gold.

This moment marked the beginning of the NXT/WWE version of this longtime independent storyline. It was the ultimate shock moment after Sami Zayn finally won the big one with his NXT career on the line. Owens, who had been busted open after making his debut earlier in the night, performed his still-brutal powerbomb on the apron on his friend Zayn.

After turning on his tag team partner Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa sits stoically and watches as others scramble to help Gargano. WWE

After failing to reclaim the NXT tag team championship in an excellent ladder match, the unthinkable happened to the revered duo of #DIY, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. As the show appeared to be going off the air, Ciampa attacked Gargano and created the most villainous character in NXT history.